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Theater Listings for Nov. 29-Dec. 5

Approximate running times are in parentheses. Theaters are in Manhattan unless otherwise noted. Full reviews of current productions, additional listings, showtimes and ticket information are at nytimes.com/theater. A searchable, critical guide to theater is at nytimes.com/events.

Previews and Openings

‘Analog.Ue’ (in previews; opens on Wednesday) Following his story shows “The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church” and “It’s Always Right Now, Until It’s Later,” the acclaimed British monologuist Daniel Kitson, described by Ben Brantley in The New York Times, as “unconditionally engaged and engaging,” returns to St. Ann’s Warehouse with the premiere of this new piece, which delves into the predigital past of vinyl, VCRs, Super 8, speaker cables and projectors. The cryptic news release for the production promises: “A mess of cables. A mound of electronic junk. A single cassette player. ... And running. Lots and lots of running.” 29 Jay Street, at Plymouth Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn, (718) 254-8779, stannswarehouse.org. (David Rooney)

‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ (in previews; opens on Jan. 12) If you have mellow memories of a scratchy needle hitting that vinyl copy of “Tapestry,” chances are the ’70s won’t seem so far away. Tracing the personal and professional life of the Brooklyn girl who rose through the music-industry ranks from songwriter to chart-topping voice of a generation, this Broadway bio-musical is written by Douglas McGrath and directed by Marc Bruni. Jessie Mueller stars as Ms. King, with Jake Epstein as her erstwhile husband and songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. Stephen Sondheim Theater, 124 West 43rd Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Rooney)

‘Bodycast’ (opens on Tuesday) Frances McDormand, who won a Tony in 2011 for her role in David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Good People,” returns to the stage with this mixed-media piece subtitled “An Artist Lecture by Suzanne Bocanegra,” part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave series. Directed by Paul Lazar, this performance essay was inspired by the two years Ms. Bocanegra spent as a teenager in a body cast while being treated for scoliosis. It examines specific details of the visual artist’s life and work, reflecting on making art and the changing ideals of feminine beauty. Fishman Space, Fisher Building, 321 Ashland Place, near Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, (718) 636-4100, bam.org. (Rooney)

‘Chéri’ (in previews; opens on Dec. 8) Martha Clarke’s latest interdisciplinary dance-theater piece is adapted from the classic 1920 novella by Colette, about the son of a courtesan in Belle Époque Paris, forced to end his affair with the older woman responsible for his amorous education. Amy Irving stars alongside the ballet luminaries Herman Cornejo and Alessandra Ferri in this exploration of sensuality, youth and age, with text by Tina Howe. Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street, near 10th Avenue, Clinton, (212) 244-7529, signaturetheatre.org. (Rooney)

‘The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence’ (in previews; opens on Dec. 9) Given that television and the movies in recent years have coughed up their share of revisionist riffs on Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth (and his sidekick), it’s time for theater to get in on the Sherlock Holmes act. Leigh Silverman directs Madeleine George’s time-jumping cautionary comedy about the people and gadgets on which we depend, starring John Ellison Conlee, David Costabile and Amanda Quaid. Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (212) 279-4200, playwrightshorizons.org. (Rooney)

‘It’s a Wonderful Life: The 1946 Live Radio Play’ (previews start on Wednesday; opens on Dec. 10) Can’t get enough of Frank Capra’s screen classic in holiday TV reruns? The Irish Rep brings back Anthony Palermo’s adaptation of the gloriously sentimental Christmas tale, set in a 1940s radio station, with a busy sound effects artist and six actors playing 25 characters, among them the suicidal Bedford Falls resident George Bailey and his guardian angel, Clarence. Charlotte Moore directs. Irish Repertory Theater, 132 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, (212) 727-2737, irishrep.org. (Rooney)

‘Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter’ (previews start on Tuesday; opens on Dec. 12) The jazz vocalist Stevie Holland stars as Linda Lee Thomas, the Southern socialite whose marriage to the great American songwriter Cole Porter lasted 35 years, despite her knowledge that he was gay. Written by Ms. Holland with Gary William Friedman and directed by Richard Maltby Jr., this one-woman musical chronicles their relationship, incorporating Porter evergreens like “Night and Day,” “I Love Paris,” “In the Still of the Night” and “Love for Sale.” York Theater Company at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Lexington Avenue, at 54th Street, (212) 935-5820, yorktheatre.org. (Rooney)

‘The Night Alive’ (previews start on Saturday; opens on Dec. 12) Conor McPherson has made a specialty out of capturing the haunted solitude of the Irish male with compassion, humor and a flavorful dash of morbidity. In his latest play, which comes to the Atlantic Theater Company via the Donmar Warehouse in London, a divorced middle-aged opportunist is scraping by when a battered woman stumbles into his life, giving them both a shot at a fresh start. Or not. The playwright also directs the production, with a cast that includes Ciaran Hinds and Jim Norton, last seen together on Broadway in Mr. McPherson’s “The Seafarer.” Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street, Chelsea, (866) 811-4111, atlantictheater.org. (Rooney)

‘Nutcracker Rouge’ (previews start on Saturday; opens on Wednesday) If the traditional New York City Ballet “Nutcracker” is too tame for you, this eroticized reimagining conceived, directed and choreographed by Austin McCormick may be more to your taste. Described as a “Baroque-burlesque confection of theater, dance, circus and sumptuous design,” this decadent winter spectacle also stirs in opera, 19th-century poetry, E.T.A. Hoffmann-inspired text and partial nudity. Minetta Lane Theater, 18 Minetta Lane, Greenwich Village, (800) 745-3000, ticketmaster.com. (Rooney)

‘What’s It All About? Bacharach Reimagined’ (in previews; opens on Thursday) New York Theater Workshop has a stellar track record as an incubator for unconventional musical productions (“Rent,” “Once,” “Peter and the Starcatcher”). This tour through the songbook of Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David and others, aims to reinterpret some of the 20th century’s most enduring pop classics for a new generation. Kyle Riabko, a young actor-musician seen on Broadway in “Spring Awakening” and “Hair,” undertakes the musical arrangements and conceived the show with David Lane Seltzer. Steven Hoggett, the movement specialist known for his innovative work on “Black Watch” and “Once,” directs a cast of seven, Mr. Riabko among them. New York Theater Workshop, 79 East Fourth Street, East Village, (212) 279-4200, nytw.org. (Rooney)

‘What We Know’ (previews begin on Wednesday; opens on Dec. 8) The enterprising One Year Lease Theater Company turned heads last year with its production of Mark Ravenhill’s “pool (no water).” That critical hit was staged by the ensemble-based group’s artistic director, Ianthe Demos, who teams here with Natalie Lomonte on the Scottish playwright Pamela Carter’s exploration of life, love and loss in the kitchen. The production employs food preparation and magic to show how one woman fills the gap left after a relationship ends by doing what her former partner did — cooking. Teatro Circulo, 64 East Fourth Street, East Village, (866) 811-4111, oneyearlease.org. (Rooney)

★ ‘After Midnight’ The stars of this tribute to the Harlem jazz clubs of the 1920s and ’30s are the 16 virtuosic musicians who perform — with verve, style and a good splash of sheer joy — about 25 songs from the period, with a special emphasis on Duke Ellington both as composer and arranger. The dancers and singers are terrific — Fantasia Barrino sings with style, and Adriane Lenox all but steals the show with her two lowdown numbers — but it’s really the Jazz at Lincoln Center All Stars, on the bandstand at the back of the stage, who shine brightest (1:30). Brooks Atkinson Theater, 256 West 47th Street, (212) 745-3000, ticketmaster.com. (Charles Isherwood)

‘Annie’ James Lapine’s revival of the singing comic strip from 1977 is merely serviceable. But its smiley-faced mixture of hope and corn scratches an itch in a city recovering from a recession and a hurricane. Theatergoers may occasionally feel the urge both to mist up and throw up. With Anthony Warlow and Faith Prince as Miss Hannigan (2:25). Palace Theater, 1564 Broadway, at 47th Street, (877) 250-2929, ticketmaster.com. (Ben Brantley)

‘Betrayal’ Harold Pinter’s great drama of love and perfidy among the literati has been transformed into a boisterous comedy of infidelity (think “Run for Your Wife” with references to Yeats) in this production, directed by Mike Nichols. The play’s sexual triangle is embodied, with star power (and decibel counts) to spare, by Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Rafe Spall (1:30). Ethel Barrymore Theater, 243 West 47th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

‘Big Fish’ For a show that celebrates tall tales, this movie-inspired musical about a whopper-spinning dad feels curiously stunted. Directed by Susan Stroman, the production is big on outlandish eye candy but fails to forge a connection between its characters and their fantasies. The super-talented Norbert Leo Butz is the fabulist father, and Bobby Steggert is his judgmental son (2:35). Neil Simon Theater, 250 West 52nd Street, (866) 870-2717, bigfishthemusical.com. (Brantley)

‘First Date’ The winning Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez star in this cliché-ridden romantic comedy, with a book by Austin Winsberg and a score by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. Mr. Levi is the nice Jewish boy who’s had his heart kicked around, Ms. Rodriguez a boho chick with lots of experience. They’re all wrong for each other, right? Sorry, but no prizes will be given for guessing how this familiar story ends (1:30). Longacre Theater, 220 West 48th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Isherwood)

★ ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ Playing eight different victims of a sweet-faced killer (Bryce Pinkham) in Edwardian England, Jefferson Mays sings, dances, prances and generally makes infectious merriment in this daffy, ingenious new musical. Written with real wit by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak, the show has been stylishly directed by Darko Tresnjak (2:20). Walter Kerr Theater, 219 West 48th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Isherwood)

★ ‘The Glass Menagerie’ John Tiffany’s stunning revival of Tennessee Williams’s 1944 family drama promises to be the most revealing revival of a cornerstone classic for many a year. This poetic production paradoxically reveals the brute emotional force in a play often dismissed as wispy and elegiac. The entire cast — Cherry Jones, Zachary Quinto, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Brian J. Smith — is magnificent (2:30). Booth Theater, 222 West 45th Street, (800) 432-7250, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

★ ‘Kinky Boots’ Cyndi Lauper has created a love-and-heat-seeking score that performs like a pop star on Ecstasy. This Harvey Fierstein-scripted tale of lost souls in the shoe business, in which a young factory owner (Stark Sands) teams up with a drag queen (Billy Porter), sometimes turns into a sermon. But it’s hard to resist the audience-hugging charisma of the songs (2:20). Al Hirschfeld Theater, 302 West 45th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

‘Macbeth’ Individual motivation doesn’t count for much in Jack O’Brien’s dark and dreary account of Shakespeare’s study in vaulting ambition, with character taking a back seat to mystical symmetry. In the title role, Ethan Hawke suggests a glue-sniffing teenager reciting Leonard Cohen lyrics. The gifted Anne-Marie Duff is his fiendish queen, but it’s the three Witches who fly away with the show (2:45). Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center, (212) 239-6200, lct.org, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

★ ‘Matilda the Musical’ The most satisfying and subversive musical ever to come out of Britain. Directed by Matthew Warchus, with a book by Dennis Kelly and addictive songs by Tim Minchin, this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel is an exhilarating tale of empowerment, told from the perspective of that most powerless group, little children (2:35). Shubert Theater, 225 West 44th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

‘Motown: The Musical’ A dramatically slapdash but musically vibrant joy ride through the glory days of the Detroit music label founded by Berry Gordy. Mr. Gordy’s book is sketchy and obvious — you want to plug your ears whenever the music stops. But the music is, of course, some of the greatest R&B ever recorded, and the performers mostly electric (2:40). Lunt-Fontanne Theater, 205 West 46th Street, (877) 250-2929, ticketmaster.com. (Isherwood)

‘A Night With Janis Joplin’ And friends, actually. The hard-living singer of the title, whose greatest hits are performed with impressive emotional ferocity by Mary Bridget Davies, is joined by a quartet of gifted singers giving their own impersonations of the singers who influenced her, from Bessie Smith to Odetta to Nina Simone to Aretha Franklin. But the talky Janis who gives us a docent tour of blues history in this amplified concert, written and directed by Randy Johnson, doesn’t compel the way the ferocious singer does (2:15). Lyceum Theater, 149 West 45th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Isherwood)

★ ‘No Man’s Land’/‘Waiting for Godot’ With Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart playing a couple of swells and a couple of hobos, Sean Mathias’s productions bring out the polish and shimmer in the language of these existential classics from Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. If these shows lack the requisite mortal chill, they allow us to savor fully some of the best dialogue ever written. (“Waiting for Godot”: 2:30; “No Man’s Land”: 2:00.) Cort Theater, 138 West 48th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

‘Pippin’ Diane Paulus sends in the acrobats for her exhaustingly energetic revival of Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson’s 1972 musical starring Patina Miller. As for the 99-pound story at the center of this muscle-bound spectacle — the one about the starry-eyed son of Charlemagne (Matthew James Thomas) — that’s there too, if you look hard (2:35). Music Box Theater, 239 West 45th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

‘Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ This ultimate and most enduring of makeover stories, via the team who gave us “Oklahoma!,” has been restyled by the director Mark Brokaw and the writer Douglas Carter Beane into a glittery patchwork of snark and sincerity, with a whole lot of fancy ball gowns. Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana are the appealing leading lovers (2:20). Broadway Theater, 1681 Broadway, at 53rd Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

‘Romeo and Juliet’ The chemistry between Orlando Bloom, in a fine Broadway debut, and Condola Rashad in the title roles of David Leveaux’s production is more aesthetic than erotic. They seem like too-pretty-for-this-world porcelain figurines that you know are doomed to shatter. While this approach more or less works for the first half, the production’s tragedies are woefully unfocused (2:15). Richard Rodgers Theater, 226 West 46th Street, (800) 745-3000, ticketmaster.com. (Brantley)

‘The Snow Geese’ Mary-Louise Parker returns to the stage to portray (a bit self-consciously) a beautiful, World War I-era widow with fractious sons in this lifeless drama by Sharr White. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, and featuring the estimable Victoria Clark and Danny Burstein, this production is a muddle of pastiche parts that never cohere into an original and organic whole (2:05). Samuel J. Friedman Theater, 261 West 47th Street, (212) 399-3050, manhattantheatreclub.com. (Brantley)

★ ‘Twelfth Night’/‘Richard III’ In a word, bliss. Mark Rylance demonstrates that he can be just as brilliant in a skirt (as a love-stunned countess) as in trousers (as a psychopathic monarch) in these all-male productions from Shakespeare’s Globe in London, directed by Tim Carroll. These are radiantly illuminating interpretations, and in the case of “Twelfth Night,” a source of pure, tickling joy. (“Twelfth Night”: 2:50; “Richard III”: 2:45.) Belasco Theater, 111 West 44th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

Off Broadway

★ ‘All That Fall’ Samuel Beckett’s 1957 radio play, staged by Trevor Nunn, transforms the everyday vicissitudes of an Irish country woman’s journey to the local train station into a bleak, profoundly funny odyssey of Homeric struggles. The agreeably disagreeable woman and her husband are memorably embodied, with“wild laughter” and priceless lamentation, by Eileen Atkins and Michael Gambon (1:15). 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th Street, Manhattan, (212) 279-4200, 59e59.org. (Brantley)

‘And Away We Go’ Terrence McNally plants a big, sloppy kiss on his lifelong love — the theater — in this time-traveling romp through the history of drama over a couple of millenniums. Although the overlapping story lines get a bit confused, fellow theater lovers will find much to divert them in this valentine. Zestily directed by Jack Cummings III and handsomely mounted by the Pearl Theater Company (1:40). The Pearl Theater, 555 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (212) 563-9261, pearltheatre.org. (Isherwood)

★ ‘Bad Jews’ The wonderful Tracee Chimo (“Circle Mirror Tranformation,” “Bachelorette”), as well as Philip Ettinger, Molly Ranson and Michael Zegen, have returned for the remounting of this play, which appeared Off Off Broadway last year at Roundabout Underground’s Black Box Theater. Ms. Chimo gives a sensational performance in Joshua Harmon’s work, portraying a smart, funny and seriously abrasive young woman who is embroiled in a dispute with her cousin over who is entitled to a family heirloom (1:40). Laura Pels Theater at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theater, 111 West 46th Street, Manhattan, (212) 719-1300, roundabouttheater.org. (Isherwood)

★ ‘Bayside! The Musical’ Attending this bawdy, ridiculous, unauthorized parody of the harebrained sitcom “Saved by the Bell” is a bit like going to a midnight screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” given the many inside jokes and synchronized audience responses. Audience members know the material so well because half the humor comes from merely reproducing every ludicrous plot twist and trope from the TV show (including Zack’s giant cellphone, Becky the Duck and other allusions that will be familiar to longtime fans). The other half of the humor is just good-old fashioned raunch, usually playing up the horrifying ways to reinterpret a squeaky-clean children’s show (2:00). Theater 80, 80 St. Marks Place, East Village, (212) 388-0388, baysidethemusical.com. (Catherine Rampell)

‘Bill W. and Dr. Bob’ Making the story of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous 99 percent preachiness-free is quite an accomplishment. Samuel Shem and Janet Surrey’s purpose-driven script, which never forgets the humor of the human experience, goes a long way toward making this a satisfying revival (2:15). SoHo Playhouse, 15 Van Dam Street, South Village, (866) 811-4111, billwanddrbob.com. (Anita Gates)

★ ‘Buyer & Cellar’ Jonathan Tolins has concocted an irresistible one-man play from the most peculiar of fictitious premises — an underemployed Los Angeles actor goes to work in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu, Calif., basement — allowing the playwright to ruminate with delicious wit and perspicacity on the solitude of celebrity, the love-hate attraction between gay men and divas, and the melancholy that lurks beneath narcissism. In the capable hands of the director Stephen Brackett and the wickedly charming actor Michael Urie, this seriously funny slice of absurdist whimsy creates the illusion of a stage filled with multiple people, all of them with their own droll point of view (1:30). Barrow Street Theater, 27 Barrow Street, at Seventh Avenue South, West Village, (212) 868-4444, smarttix.com. (Rooney)

‘The Commons of Pensacola’ The actor Amanda Peet makes a creditable playwriting debut with this sudsy family drama loosely inspired by the Bernie Madoff scandal. Blythe Danner gives a crisply funny performance as the disgraced wife, with Sarah Jessica Parker making a sure-footed return to stage work as her daughter, who begins to harbor doubts about her mother’s innocence (1:20). City Center Stage I, 131 West 55th Street, Manhattan, (212) 581-1212, nycitycenter.org. (Isherwood)

‘Cougar the Musical’ Three older women find themselves attracted to younger men, two against their better judgment. The concept seems made for bus tours, but imagination, appealing numbers with original melodies and theme-transcending jokes lift this show well above the level of “Menopause: The Musical” and its ilk (1:30). Saturdays only. St. Luke’s Theater, 308 West 46th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Gates)

‘Cuff Me: The Fifty Shades of Grey Musical Parody’ What can I possibly say that isn’t said by the title of this production? Here’s one thing: It’s not exactly great theater, but I’d still rather see “Cuff Me” than read the novel upon which it’s based (1:30). Actors Temple Theater, 339 West 47th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Claudia La Rocco)

‘Disaster!’ Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick lampoon those cheesy 1970s movies in which fistfuls of C-list stars were clobbered by various unnatural acts of nature. Deathlessly awful songs from the same era — “Torn Between Two Lovers,” “Feelings,” “I Am Woman” — are thrown in for good measure (2:05). St. Luke’s Theater, 308 West 46th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, disastermusical.com. (Isherwood)

‘Domesticated’ Having dealt with the divisive power of skin color in “Clybourne Park,” Bruce Norris plumbs the abyss between the sexes in this alternately energizing and tedious satire, directed by Anna D. Shapiro. The play, starring a fiery Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Goldblum, percolates with Mr. Norris’s distinctive language of frustration; it also often scores too easily off big targets (1:40). Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, Lincoln Center, 150 West 65th Street, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com, lct.org. (Brantley)

‘Every Day a Visitor’ Richard Abrons’s comic drama offers a brilliant strategy for getting through your twilight years if you end up in a depressing retirement home. Just choose a famous person and become him or her. The characters are agonizingly predictable, but that may be by design, for contrast with their transformations (1:45). Clurman Theater at Theater Row, 410 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (800) 432-7250, telecharge.com. (Gates)

★ ‘Fun Home’ This beautiful heartbreaker of a memory musical, adapted from Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir, brilliantly uses the ineffability of music and the artifice of theater to conjure the mysteries of being part of a family. It is splendidly directed by Sam Gold, with a book by Lisa Kron, music by Jeanine Tesori and a superb cast — led by Michael Cerveris as an ever-elusive father (1:45). Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, publictheater.org. (Brantley)

★ ‘Good Person of Szechwan’ Lear DeBessonet’s frisky, funny production of Bertolt Brecht’s fable about the high cost of doing good reveals how purely entertaining the German playwright and theorist’s work can be when it is delivered with invention and a spirit of inquisitive exuberance. The drag performer Taylor Mac gives a wondrously good performance as the prostitute Shen Te, who invents a fictional male cousin to pursue her interests when her charitable instincts trip her up (2:30). Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, publictheater.org. (Isherwood)

‘Hamlet’ The Bedlam company presents a four-person, stripped-down production that is modest and sensitive to the sound of the poetry of the play (3:30). Lynn Redgrave Theater at the Culture Project, 45 Bleecker Street, at Lafayette Street, East Village, (866) 811-4111, theatrebedlam.org. (Jason Zinoman)

‘How I Learned What I Learned’ Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who has appeared in and directed August Wilson’s plays, now portrays the writer in this memoir in monologue about his formative years in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, where Wilson’s great plays were mostly set (1:20). Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (212) 244-7529, signaturetheatre.org. (Isherwood)

‘How to Make Friends and Then Kill Them’ This very dark comedy by Halley Feiffer features gung-ho performances by its three actresses, who portray childhood friends (two of them sisters) who become entangled in an ugly combination of rivalry and co-dependence as they grow to adulthood. Things get pretty unpleasant, and ultimately it seems as if the unpleasantness is the play’s only point (1:30). Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place, Greenwich Village, (866) 811-4111, rattlestick.org. (Neil Genzlinger)

Photo

First Date The winning Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez, both above, star in this cliché-ridden romantic comedy, with a book by Austin Winsberg and a score by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. Mr. Levi is the nice Jewish boy who’s had his heart kicked around; Ms. Rodriguez is a boho chick with lots of experience. They’re all wrong for each other, right? Sorry, but no prizes will be given for guessing how this familiar story ends (1:30). Longacre Theater, 220West 48th Street, Manhattan, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Charles Isherwood)Credit
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

‘It’s Just Sex’ Jeff Gould’s lightweight comedy, a long-running hit in Los Angeles, is about three married couples whose party turns into an evening of spouse-swapping and postcoital navel-gazing (metaphorically). The cast is personable, but the script’s only deep thought is that if women were told they could talk only to one person for the rest of their lives, they would understand why sexual fidelity is so stifling for men (1:30). Actors Temple Theater, 339 West 47th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Gates)

★ ‘The Jacksonian’ The humor in Beth Henley’s delectably lurid new play is as black as widow’s weeds. But with a crackerjack cast, directed by Robert Falls, this twisty study in murder, Mississippi style, finds bright fireworks within shades of noir. The top-tier ensemble, which includes Ed Harris and Bill Pullman, goes out on a limb (and hangs there) with unblinking conviction (1:25). Acorn Theater at Theater Row, 410 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Brantley)

★ ‘Juno and the Paycock’ J. Smith-Cameron gives a warm, moving performance as the wife of the ne’er-do-well “Captain” Jack Boyle (the fine Ciaran O’Reilly) in Charlotte Moore’s assured revival of Sean O’Casey’s play about the troubles faced by an impoverished family amid the civil unrest in Dublin of the 1920s (2:15). Irish Repertory Theater, 132 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, (212) 727-2737, irishrep.org. (Isherwood)

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‘Lady Day’ The stylish jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater plays Billie Holiday toward the frayed end of her career in this musically rich but dramatically awkward bio-play, set in London in 1954 and written and directed by Stephen Stahl (2:15). Little Shubert Theater, 422 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, ladydaythemusical.com. (Isherwood)

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ William Finn and James Lapine’s new musical is an affable but surprisingly bland adaptation of the popular movie. Hannah Nordberg charms as the would-be pageant winner, and the chorus of her competitors provide some spark in what is generally a spark-free evening (1:45). Second Stage Theater, 305 West 43rd Street, Clinton, (212) 246-4422, 2st.com. (Isherwood)

★ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Julie Taymor’s eye-popping take on Shakespeare’s most enchanted comedy seems to turn the very firmament into a set of silk sheets, equally suitable for sex and sleep. In this auspicious inaugural production for the new Brooklyn headquarters of Theater for a New Audience, Ms. Taymor confirms her reputation as the P. T. Barnum of contemporary stagecraft (2:40). Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place, between Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, (866) 811-4111, tfana.org. (Brantley)

★ ‘Murder for Two’ After a successful run at Second Stage Uptown, this show returns to another Off Broadway space, New World Stages. In this nifty mystery musical comedy by Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair, a virtuosic Jeff Blumenkrantz plays all the suspects, and Brett Ryback the investigating officer. The actors also provide the music, taking turns at the piano, under Scott Schwartz’s fleet direction (1:30). 340 West 50th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com. (Isherwood)

★ ‘Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812’ Dave Malloy’s transporting pop opera dramatizes an emotionally potent slice of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” Rachel Chavkin directs a superb young cast who bring the loves and losses of 19th-century Russian aristocrats to vibrant, intimate life in a stylish cabaret setting. The production and its tent make the move from the meatpacking district to the theater district for a multiweek run (2:30). Kazino, West 45th Street, near Eighth Avenue, telecharge.com (Isherwood)

‘The Preacher and the Shrink’ Connie (Adria Vitlar), a poet and English professor, shakes her father (Tom Galantich), the senior minister at a Presbyterian church, after accusing his young colleague of molesting her. Merle Good’s play shows some early promise, but fixates on Connie’s self-absorbed grievances to the exclusion of better material and, in the process, wastes Dee Hoty as the psychiatrist of the title. In the end, the only one fascinated by a narcissist is the narcissist (1:45). Beckett Theater at Theater Row, 410 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, theatrerow.org/thebeckett.htm. (Daniel M. Gold)

★ ‘Regular Singing’ The fourth and final installment of Richard Nelson’s wonderful, sui generis Apple Family plays, this deeply intimate drama is about how we remember our living and our dead. The entire cycle is now being performed in repertory, with a profoundly in-the-moment ensemble, offering a rare and radiant mirror of the way we live — and fail to live — now (2:00). Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, publictheater.org. (Brantley)

★ ‘Saint Joan’ With just four actors playing 24 characters, Bedlam’s wonderfully high-spirited production of Shaw’s 1920 semi-tragedy leads its audience into, out of and all over the space. Eric Tucker’s inventive direction and the four superb performers make it well worth the time. It returns to the stage after a previous run at the Access Theater this year, and will run in repertory with Bedlam’s “Hamlet” (3:00). Lynn Redgrave Theater at the Culture Project, 45 Bleecker Street, at Lafayette Street, East Village, (866) 811-4111, theatrebedlam.org. (Eric Grode)

‘La Soirée’ The side show meets the big top in this naughty hybrid of burlesque and circus, featuring performers like the comic chanteuse Meow Meow and a waterlogged hunk taking a very gymnastic bath (2:00). Union Square Theater, 100 East 17th Street, (800) 653-8000, ticketmaster.com. (Isherwood)

‘Taking Care of Baby’ Dennis Kelly’s crafty, precisely acted drama purports to be a specimen of “verbatim” theater, to remind us that even documentaries are filled with unreliable narrators. Kristen Bush plays a young woman who may have killed her children, and the invaluable Margaret Colin and Reed Birney offer dubious evidence. Erica Schmidt directs with appropriately confusing clarity (2:10). City Center Stage II, 131 West 55th Street, Manhattan, (212) 581-1212, nycitycenter.org. (Brantley)

‘Family Furniture’ A.R. Gurney’s wry and tender new comedy-drama depicts a well-to-do New York family of the 1950s in crisis. Carolyn McCormick plays a wife who may be straying, Peter Scolari the husband who doesn’t know, Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Ismenia Mendes the children dealing with the emotional fallout (1:30). Flea Theater, 41 White Street, TriBeCa, (212) 352-3101, theflea.org. (Isherwood)

★ ‘Then She Fell’ Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” books, this transporting immersive theater work occupies a dreamscape where the judgments and classifications of the waking mind are suspended. A guided tour of Wonderland, created by Third Rail Projects, leads its participants through a series of rooms and an interactive evening of dance, poetry, food and drink (2:00). The Kingsland Ward at St. John’s, 195 Maujer Street, near Humboldt Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 374-5196, thenshefell.com. (Brantley)

‘This Is My Office’ The focus shifts from a middle-aged artist’s floundering to a son’s confused mourning in Andy Bragen’s site-specific solo piece, starring David Barlow. But the combination of a sprawling, awkward space and the decision to have audience members don headsets for much of the performance creates a distance that works steadily against it (1:25). Chashama, 210 East 43rd Street, Midtown, (866) 811-4111, playco.org. (Laura Collins-Hughes)

‘Big Apple Circus: Luminocity’ The latest edition of Big Apple has a story line that unfolds in a neighborhood that’s already a rip-roaring circus: Times Square. The production assembles various New York types, and the fun is watching them — a hot dog vendor, construction workers, executives — transform into completely different humans, who then do something nearly superhuman. The circus’s one-ring intimacy only amplifies the thrills: when you can see the concentration in an aerialist’s face or count the beads of sweat on the forehead of a tightrope walker, you’re more scared, not less (2:00). Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, Lincoln Center, (800) 922-3772, bigapplecircus.org. (Laurel Graeber)

‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular’ This song-and-dance extravaganza is back, with its usual mix of old-fashioned sentiment and high-tech wizardry, including a new number, “Snow,” in which nine globes, each containing a huge snowflake, drift out into the theater. If you’re a returning audience member, you might also wish for a new story line, but the show still delivers, thanks to the consummate skill of the Rockettes. Your days this season may not be merry and bright, but these 90 minutes are. Radio City Music Hall, (866) 858-0007, radiocitychristmas.com. (Graeber)

‘The Berenstain Bears Live! In Family Matters, the Musical’ This adaptation of three of Stan and Jan Berenstain’s children’s books is pleasant enough, but the cubs are showing their age. Saturdays and Sundays (:55). Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, 5 West 63rd Street, (866) 811-4111, berenstainbearslive.com.

‘En el Tiempo de las Mariposas’ Caridad Svich’s Spanish-language adaptation of Julia Álvarez’s novel (“In the Time of the Butterflies”) about the Mirabal sisters, who opposed the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo and died as a result (2:00). Runs in repertory at Repertorio Español at Gramercy Arts Theater, 138 East 27th Street, (212) 225-9999, repertorio.org/mariposas.

‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ This production, about the boy who became Peter Pan, is an enchanted anatomy of the urge to defy gravity (2:10). New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com.

★ ‘Grasses of a Thousand Colors’ (closes on Sunday) Wallace Shawn is the star and author of this lyrical, creepy and richly detailed (and, oh yes, pornographic) dreamscape, directed by Andre Gregory. Mr. Shawn plays an ecology-wrecking entrepreneur, and Jennifer Tilly, Julie Hagerty and Emily Cass McDonnell are the women in his life. A dazzling, cautionary fairy tale that is not for the prudish (3:30). Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, publictheater.org. (Brantley)

‘A Mind-Bending Evening of Beckett’ (closes on Sunday) Bob Flanagan, a longtime puppet designer for “Saturday Night Live,” directed this production, which comprises three short plays. One entry presents a Bunraku-style puppet engaged in Sisyphean struggles on a desert island; another is a very short vision of Beckett bleakness; and one concerns two women and a man, all entombed in giant urns and prattling about the man’s dalliances with the others. Together, the three works offer a modest but rewarding (and ingeniously staged) taste of the playwright’s singular worldview (1:10). Irish Repertory Theater, 132 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, (212) 727-2737, irishrep.org. (Andy Webster)

★ ‘The Mutilated’ (closes on Sunday) The performance artist Penny Arcade and the John Waters contract player Mink Stole give big, bold performances in this funky, funny revival of a rarely seen oddity by Tennessee Williams, a black comedy from 1966 about two lonely souls in New Orleans trying to patch the rift in their friendship. Cosmin Chivu directs with flair (1:30). New Ohio Theater, 154 Christopher Street, West Village, (888) 596-1027, newohiotheatre.org. (Isherwood)

★ ‘The Winslow Boy’ (closes on Sunday) The Roundabout Theater Company presents a splendid revival of Terence Rattigan’s 1946 drama about a British man (the impeccable Roger Rees) fighting for justice after his son is expelled from a naval academy. Moving, delicately funny and terrifically played by a cast that also includes Charlotte Parry as the boy’s freethinking sister, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as his quietly worried mother and Michael Cumpsty as a family friend (2:40). American Airlines Theater, 227 West 42nd Street, (212) 719-1300, roundabouttheatre.org. (Isherwood)